What a race! I wanted to get a post up so people could start writing up their experiences in the comments field.
More pics soon. Rap Master, we would love another epic writeup. Squeeky, Topher and Litl’bit – please share your view of your first Half Iron distance race. KarenG8r always has a great angle on things. Miss Topher (new nick needed!) we would love to hear how you beat back the Halloween demons for a great OWS and great race as well.
9 responses so far ↓
1 SOMA Half Triathlon // Oct 31, 2007 at 3:01 pm
[...] SOMA race day pics are posted here. [...]
2 Squeeky // Oct 31, 2007 at 5:22 pm
It was awesome!
The deep water start was a wee bit cold and WAY crowded. My wave was all relays and males 40-49. Too many people. The announcer kept yelling for us to get in the water ( even to push the person in front of us if they were stalling). I had 15 seconds before the horn blew when I hit the water. The swim was disorienting. Could not see a thing and kept getting clobbered. But in trying to follow Kareng8r’s hydration plan, I decided to drink the first 20 ounces of water while I was swimming in the lake. That seemed to work for me. That hydration plan of chugging lake water did not seem so sound when I later saw that massive dead fish floating on the lakeside during the run….
One of the coolest parts of the swim was that I hit the wetsuit strippers at the same time as Topher and Rap Master Sass, so we all ran into T1 together. (By the way, since she is Sedona, I will steal her thunder- Litl’ Bit came in 3rd in her age group in the swim- she rocked).
The bike was fun, but a bit crowded. I kept getting concerned about drafting, but I saw that no penalties were assessed to any of the 1800 competitors. The run? Just plain hot. 97 degrees. Many full med tents.
But the whole thing was a huge blast. I don’t think I have ever had so much fun. It was all made even better by doing it with Sandbagger, Litl’Bit, KarenG8r, Rap Master Sass, Topher and Miss Topher. Let’s do another. Thanks again, Rap, for getting me hooked on these.
3 rap master sass // Oct 31, 2007 at 5:28 pm
I made a mistake. Apparently, there is no such thing as a dessert triathlon. My bad.
Alex, Christophe, and I got out of the water together. (I did have a three-minute head start.) My head was pounding from the goggles and too-tight swim cap, as well as from going a few rounds with some rude swimmers.
While Christophe and I struggled with our socks and bike jerseys, Alex zipped out of transition. Never saw him again till the run, where he nearly lapped me.
Christophe and I swapped leads back and forth on the bike until 17 miles. Then my rear tire went flat.
I could not get my CO2 cartridge to connect up with my long valve stem, which kept retreating back into my deep dish. After running through two CO2 canisters, I got enough into the tire to limp around to the starting point.
Since I could not go into the transition area without a DQ, I rode through the crowd into the Expo. I felt like that rookie who wrecked his car at Richmond, and then climbed the fence and walked right through the crowd.
A guy at a bike store tent had an air hose, and pumped it up to 120 psi in about 15 seconds. Dang. That meant I had to keep going.
On the second lap, I caught Karen, who had passed me while I was in the pits. Then Rama lapped us. Karen and I rode the final two laps together. The bike course had more 180 turns than “Smokey and the Bandit.”
We started the run, and Karen took a break. I spent the next five miles looking over my shoulder. Just as Kendal lapped me, Karen caught us. That’s when my legs seized up, and settled into the Sasser Shuffle.
There was 100 yards of grass over the entire 13 miles. Everything else was cacti, scrub brush, and sand. My electrolytes suddenly became electroheavy.
Karen, bless her heart, stayed back with me for the next eight miles. That meant she spent an extra 30 minutes in the desert sun. She walked beside me as I “ran” 14 minute miles in the 97 degree heat.
It was wonderful to see Sandbagger, Squeaky, Topher, Lil Bit, Mrs. Topher, Mme Topher, and three little Tophers waiting on us at the finish.
Believe it or not, I had a P.R.
4 terp // Oct 31, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Strippers at Transition Area 1? No wonder Rap Master Sass signs-up for triathlons every weekend.
Congrats to everyone! You are all amazing athletes!
5 Squeeky // Nov 1, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Here is the recount of Soma from one of Topher’s buddies (to remain anonymous).
________________________________
I have so many things that I know personally as a coach and from 20+ years of racing that I am the first to let everyone of you know, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.
I always have a game plan before hand, a race plan and a finishing goal.
I blew all of that to hell yesterday.
My game plan was to keep every competitor within arms reach through all 3 disciples. I could not allow too much time to be given in any of the exercises, as I know that when I do, I can never make that time up. We all race at close swimming, biking and running splits to allow any
time to be given. I had to be solid in all 3 in order to accomplish my race goal of 4:30 or under. My race plan was to hit a 30 min. swim, 2:24 bike and maintain 7 min miles for the run.
I drank 5 bottles on the bike= 3 waters and 2 Gatorade with CarboPro.
Before I jumped into the water for the swim I handed off my shoes, shirt and running cap to Erin. My first mistake as I knew I needed that running cap for the run, but I forgot to leave it in the transition area.
My swim was all over the board. First 1/3 of the swim seemed to go well but as soon as we hit the east direction I could not find the markers, I swam all over thinking I was on the right line only to find out I needed to cut way back to the northeast to swim around the easy end bouy. From there it just seemed to get worse. I came out of the water, which seemed to feel like eternity knowing that I was at least 4 minutes behind. Ouch. Again, this is time I knew that I lost and needed to make it up quickly.
I charged off on the bike, I felt great. I kept a steady tempo, kept my plan with drinking and taking in calories, but what I didn’t stick to was my time splits. I needed to post a 2:24 on the bike in order to take in calories, hydration and have the legs for the run. Instead, I posted a 2:17, which was too much effort before the run. It wasn’t until the last lap of the bike that I finally realized my swim wasn’t all that bad after all, as the person I pace off of was more than 9 minutes behind me. Mistake number two, don’t assume the course swim is accurate. When I went back to look at swim times compared to last years and the athletes, I actually out swam most of them this year, but since I heard 34 minutes I assumed I tanked the swim.
I jumped of the bike and actually ran a very solid 44-minute first loop. Right on track. Only at this point I knew I had to make a decision. I had the choice to slowdown and take in fluids although my stomach was already somewhat ill at this point, but I chose to push on. You see, I was on pace for a sub 4:15 race and knew if I could maintain then I would have one incredible race, better than I ever imagined for my fitness. Being as competitive as I am, you all knew what my choice was before I told you.
By mile 8 or so I kept dumping water of my head, sipping both Gatorade and water, and I plowed on. By mile 10 I ended up in a few short run walks as to try and control my breathing and recover somewhat, but this actually hurt me as it took longer to get to the next aid station. By mile 11 my tank ran out completely. I lost it. I couldn’t see straight, when I tried to walk, I kept stumbling. To be completely honest, even at this point, I kept telling myself if I could walk the last 2 miles I should still finish around the 4:30 mark. I stumbled on. I remember several people asking if I was all right and I would reply “no”. Next thing I know, right before the condo’s I fell to the ground, I began to throw-up uncontrollably, my hands were numb and my forearms tingled. I knew I
was in serious trouble. As I laid on the ground in my own vomit and may I add, my own urine as well, as my body lost all control of bodily functions, I could see just a few feet away an area that had some shade, but I couldn’t move, I was stuck right where I laid, not able to get
up, sit-up or drag myself. The entire time I couldn’t stop vomiting which made things worse. Runners would keep coming by and ask if I needed anything and I would reply, “yes, I’m going to die here”. At several different times I truly felt that. I actually thought I was going to die from heat stroke or something related to it. It seemed like forever before some golf cart came to pick me up and even that person had no medical experience, no water, no ice, only a way for me to get back to the finish. People on the course, not sure if they were athletes, but they
threw me in the cart and we headed to the finish. In the sun with no water, throwing up still, we headed back. By the time I got the finish line I was so sick I couldn’t lift my hands, head or even move my fingers. My hands were completely tight and in a fist. I was solid white and still vomiting. Several men grabbed me and threw me onto the massage table in some shade. I couldn’t lie on my back, as I still was dry heaving. I couldn’t focus on anything and in fact, just trying to open my eyes seemed impossible.
They cooled me down instantly which then resulted in uncontrollable shakes for the next 2 hours. I had a great ride in the ambulance over to the hospital, I think, since I really don’t remember much after mile 9 in the run.
After getting to the hospital I went straight back to emergency, I was poked several times, shaking uncontrollably still, and completely delirious.
Some 2 hours later after 2 IV’s, 30 blankets and who knows whatever else they did, I came through.
6 sandbagger // Nov 2, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Sporting the EW blue and throwing out the E W gangsta sign (I bet they didn’t know they had a gangster sign).
Still working on the writeup.
7 terp // Nov 4, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Rap Master Sass Sighting
One week later…Rap Master Sass followed-up his 1/2 ironman finish with a sub-2 hour performance at the City of Oaks Half Marathon this morning. Congrats!
Congrats as well to all of the Mitterling Milers who ran this morning. Post your stories when you get a chance. I saw Dr. Feelgood, Sandman, and Saber – all looked strong this morning.
8 Belkymd // Nov 5, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Great Soma stories! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to running next weekend.
9 litl' bit // Nov 12, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I am a litl’ bit uncomfortable with my writting skills and it is a litl’ bit lengthy but promised I would share, so here is my write up of SOMA.
Sitting here sipping my coffee (not SB ?) this morning trying to reacclimatize to the time and reality (going to work), I am given the opportunity to reflect on a great trip where PR were made, beasts were conquered, and a lot of laughter created. From a car that told us “NO” and restaurants that required piercings; we assessed new point deductions for Tri penalties, fretted over calorie and fluid in-take, and rearranged Christophe’s schedule. We first rallied at “The Farm” for a wonderful casual lunch. I am not sure I have ever seen Christophe smile so much nor heard so much bantering. Katherine (Christophe’s wife, better half, and fabulous cook) was quiet a sport to be saturated by all this.
Trying to stick to Christophe’s very impressive schedule, we headed up to South Mountain to shake out our legs and get a little taste of the AZ desert. We learned very quickly that exercising in the desert makes it is very difficult to taste anything when your throat is so dry it sticks to itself. A dry throat also makes hitting a perfectly good coyote-proof trash can difficult too. If it were not for Christophe’s forethought to have plenty of water and Gatorade on ice we may not have survived the 8 miles. It also set our minds racing as to how to combat the heat on race day.
If packet pick-up for an endurance event of 2,000 does not get you psyched and scared all at the same time, you have a stomach of steel. The things that kept me from throwing up were the good friends around me, a “litl’bit” size light pink SOMA t-shirt and hearing my specially chosen pace song over the load speakers. Trying to carb load on an anxious stomach would be hard so we let Rama chose our dining location. Our menu choices were mock meat, piercing, and black t’s. I am giving Rama a hard time, but actually the meals were excellent plus he shared his Vegan Chocolate cake. And let’s not forget that Rap Master may have won on the car ride over, but Karen made a smooth transition for the ride back.
An early morning Starbucks is the only way to start the day before a big race or.. any day. I am afraid the SB a ½ block from the motel got to know us during our stay. We also spent the morning stocking up on “Naked” drinks, bananas, peanut butter, water, Vaseline, heart rate monitors… what did I forget?! Maybe some extra razors for Rama? I think Alex got a good enough look to know.
The mini-tri with Christophe’s training group was a great way to freeze in the lake, get run over by cars and found a “heck point”. Actually, it helped me to acclimate so that I could have the best swim of my season, realize I had a serious bike problem to be corrected, and remember to have fun. Thanks Christophe! It could not have worked out better.
Logistics to get my bike fixed, save a parking spot (ASU had a big football game), and stay on Christophe’s schedule was a little too much. So we arrived most apologetically for being late to Christophe and Katherine’s beautiful home. I really enjoyed watching (yes, I offered to help) Katherine finish preparing the meal and listening to her and Christophe’s mom speak French. The Pla’s had a lot going on that night and still managed a wonderful meal. Just ask Rama about the fruit crisp. The night was so pleasant and relaxing, it gave us all time to put the big event out of our minds.
The next several hours are always the hardest, I think. You pack, rethinking every plan. Do you have your sunglasses, a small towel, what should I put in my bento box, how many Endurolyte should I open in my fluid and is it going to be enough, putting Gu in the Gu Flask, getting the number belt set-up… At the same time you are trying to hydrate, stretch, relax, get your pace song in your head, and think of what you might have forgotten. And after all this, you are then suppose to sleep. Even having my special pillow (please don’t ask Karen about this one) did not allow me that luxury.
Although daunting when filled with athletes in the dark at 5:30 in the morning, the Tempe Town Park was a perfect place for a triathlon. A large transition area, play spaces for kids, and plenty of room for vendors and spectators. It was so loud with activity and music over the speakers that it was a little hard to stay focused. Some how I find myself at the right place to get marked and extra sunscreen. Then my friends are off to set up their transition area and I felt a litl bit lost. I want to watch all the other athletes and see if they are as nervous as I am. I find my place, plug into my I-pod and begin to get everything ready. As they begin to make announcements I really get nervous. Will my chip stay on, when should I put on my wet suit, will I have time for a run warm-up, will I have time to go to the port-a-johns, will I be able to do anything in the port-a-johns, how far down should I leave my wetsuit unzipped, will I ever find my friends in this sea of people? I have never been so glad to see Jon Sasser in my life. I felt reconnected and calm (well, relatively calm) and glad to feel a smile on my face. And all the above questions were answered as the transition area closed. I did get a warm up & with friends, I did get to the port-a-john twice, I did figure out my wetsuit issues, but most importantly I got to see Christophe watching for Katherine during her swim portion. His excitement and concern was written all over his body and his grin never ending.
It is a good thing that once the race begins you do not have too much time to get too fidgety or the heebie-jeebies would be bad. It was a deep-water start so there was little time to get in, find a start spot before the gun. I started a little to the side, which gave me some room, but still got nervous as the shadows of the bridges changed the color and perspective of things. Once I got away from the bridge I got some clear water and was able to think about my pace song. The song was prefect, my stoke felt long and I began to relax… It was going to be a good swim. The buoys are always a little crowded but it also means one is behind you. As I began to see some white swim caps, I looked for Alex, Christophe and Jon with no luck. There were so many people. It is an amazing sight to see that many elbows and water movement with the sun rising in front of you. The snapshot is calm and the moment chaos.
Lifting yourself onto the dock, running up the stairs and back down to the volunteer wetsuit strippers seemed to happen in 2 deep breaths. I cannot believe I did not fall on my face. Although being a wetsuit stripper sounds like a fun job. Once you see how soaked they get and you are reminded of the conversation that we all (except Christophe) pee in our suits to keep us warm, the job becomes questionable. Note to self: If holding on to my goggles and cap as the strippers are pulling the wetsuit sleeves down…. Open your hand!…. surprisingly the goggles and cap stay in the wetsuit arm, otherwise your hand gets stuck. Also, if you are small the wetsuit strippers pop you up to your feet in no time. You know when you pull a kid to their feet and they get to “sky” for a minute, that was me. FUN!
I am not really sure what I did during the transition but it always takes me too long. And cleating onto my bike seems like a 5 part process if I don’t miss the pedal 1 or 2 times. These are reminders not to take myself too seriously and that I will always have lots things to learn. It was good to see the Quarterman runners as I started on the bike. It gave me a distraction to look for Katherine, whom I am sorry to say I missed. But it was not much later that I saw Rama and then Alex. Christophe’s smile could be felt a block before you ever saw him. Counting down the sights of each loop and looking for EW Blue kept me motivated to move forward. With out a start time on my watch or my CAT eye, staying between Rama and Alex kept me motivated to keep my pace up. Three 18.6-mile loops turned out to be a good way to get 56 miles in. There were several bikes down along the course. I felt fortunate not to be one and sorry to hear later that Jon had experienced that frustration.
Transition 2 is always interesting trying to stand on one leg as you change from biking to running shoes. Of course, nothing is still because you leg is trembling so hard. You are just hoping not to fall on your butt or into the bikes. The transition monitors were a moment reprieve as they offered extra sunscreen and cheered you forward, but on trembling legs reality returns quickly. Karen had taught me early in the season that it is wise to run with shorter strides and on your forefeet for the first ½ mile so I tried to keep that in mind. The sun and heat were evident on the run. I was glad to see so many fluid stations and took advantage of every one. I often had a Gatorade to drink and 2 waters over my head. Then I discovered ice. It took me a while to figure out the best way to manage it. Pouring ½ a cup into your cap to wear is only another route to “brain freeze”. I found by holding a cup of ice, although cumbersome, I could take one cube at a time to eat, rub on my neck and face, put down my shirt, or pour the melt over my head. Having to do a second 6.6 miles loop in 97 degree temperatures did not have me very excited, but knowing I would get coke at the aid station and that I had planned to walk in the only shaded area under a bridge made it bearable. I saw a struggling Clydesdale on the course and passed him with encouraging words. He saw the EW, said thanks and that I had a teammate just up ahead. It was great to know that EW was noticed and to think of our wonderful group as teammates. We are. I just had not thought of it or maybe the heat made it seem so poignant. Seeing Jon Sasser and a strong stride made me smile. Hearing him say, “you go girl” gave me the strength to pass a couple 40 something carrots that had been toying with me for several miles. It is amazing the little things that press you forward during a long event. And what you remember.
Making it across the finish line is always a proud emotional step. I think of my kids and parents in hopes of their understanding and look for those who have sweated the process with me. Why tears flood and receded in my whole upper body as quick as I can manage a recovery breath, I do not know but the feeling is amazing. I look for Rama knowing he had finished ahead. I cannot find him, learning later he was at Pizza AA. I saw Katherine smiling and I know it is not just for me, but also for her own earlier accomplishments. I am so excited for her. She has eaten the potato chip. Alex is next and I cannot wait to see him come in. We have strategize, trained and conquered some beast together. The finish line is our prize. I am so excited to see him finish. High five, knuckle bump, and a big hug equals smiles for days. Christophe’s finish with his children could not have been sweeter. Their patience and desire to share his accomplishment was admirable. The most heartwarming sight was seeing Karen and Jon running together up the hill to the finish and knowing that it was the exclamation point to all our team effort.
Understandably it was hard to say good-bye to the Pla’s at the award ceremony. It was a short trip filled with lots of activities and they were a big part of making the trip fun and successful. We finish our big day and trip with a 2nd visit to Gordon Biersch for some garlic fries and micro brews. Now anyone that knows me would not expect that combination for my dinner, but nothing could have tasted better. The only thing that would have changed was Jon hanging out with us longer or his palm tree shorts.
With the big event behind us, smiles on ours faces, the girls (I mean boys) heading to NC, it was time for Karen and I to see some sights. I could fill another 3 pages worth of stories so instead I will add a few words or phrases that may or may not want to be brought up during our next long run. Jolt Gum, spiral stair cases, bush whacking with a mountain goat, a mesa worth the climb; rattlesnake, buffalo, cactus fries and a cowboy for dessert; window shopping in a ghost town, one beer can make windows appear further than they actually are; have you seen my Vortex; a 20 year search for political satire on a mug; the scenic route from Sedona is worth the drive; the line you choose is always the longest even getting into the Grand Canyon; WOW! I can see for miles and miles; running on the rim; bus driver humor; El Tovar Hotel self guided tour; deer anyone; my dreams remind me I have more beast to conquer; sunrise across the canyon; the smell and haze of the CA fires; birds that know their birds; ravens; with each step the walls of the canyon and your perspective changes; some jobs are pretty shifty, do you think they saw our butts; next time…; it is amazing how well two girls can clean up in the Grand Canyon parking lot; Dellet will get you to a Starbucks even if it take a U turn in Flagstaff; no more 2nd floor rooms; note to self: don’t forget the room key; short run & last outdoor swim for a while; taking advantage of our last few hours: SB on Mill Dr, Desert garden & trail off the bike course, and one more look at Tempe Town Lake. I must say that Karen is the most fun laid back groovy chick to travel with and I hope she will want to do it many more times. I wish I could remember all the things that made us laugh but the laughter comes so easily. And that is what it is all about…